Ryan Lochte and Fellow U.S. Olympic Swimmers Robbed at Gunpoint By Individuals Posing as Armed …

Olympian swimmer Ryan Lochte and three other Team USA athletes say they were robbed after a night out, according to a United States Olympic Committee spokesperson. 

Patrick Sandusky tells E! News in a statement, “According to four members of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team (Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, Jimmy Feigen and Ryan Lochte), they left France House early Sunday morning in a taxi headed for the Olympic Village. Their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes’ money and other personal belongings.”

“All four athletes are safe and cooperating with authorities,” he added.

Lochte told Today‘s Billy Bush, “We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over. They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground—they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so I’m not getting down on the ground.”

“And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, ‘Get down,’ and I put my hands up, I was like, ‘Whatever.’ He took our money, he took my wallet. He left my cell phone, he left my credentials,” Lochte added. 

Lochte’s mother Ileana Lochte spoke to USA Today of the incident, explaining, “I think they’re all shaken up. There were a few of them. No, they were just, they just took their wallets and basically that was it.”

A video shared by O Globo shows Lochte and Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira celebrating at a party on Saturday night. 

The 12-time Olympic medalist has won one gold medal during the Rio Games, wrapping up his final swimming event on Thursday. In a recent interview, the 32-year-old said of his potential to get back in the pool during the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, “Going in day in and day out just beating up your body, it takes a toll. Being at the age I am now, it’s definitely time that I need a break, but I can’t say it’s over.”

(E! News and the Today Show are both part of the NBC Universal family).